• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.77-91
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• 2006

Purpose : To address the ability of Dohaekseungkitang (DST: a commonly used herb formulation in Korea, Japan and China to have anti-cancer effect on cervical carcinoma), we investigated the effects of DST on programmed cell death (apoptosis) in HeLa human cervical carcinoma cells. Methods : We cultured HeLa cell which is human metrocarcinoma cell in D-MEM included 10% fetal bovine serum(Hyclone Laboratories) below $37^{\circ}C$, 5% CO2. Then we observed apoptosis of log phage cell which is changed cultivation liquid 24 Hours periodically. Results : After the treatment of DST for 48 hours, apoptosis occurred in a dose-dependent manner. In this study, we have shown that DST induces calpain and the associated caspase-8 and -9 activations. Apoptosis was prevented by pre-incubation of the cells with the calcium cHeLator-BAPTA-AM, calcium channel blocker-Nif edipine or Ryonidine agonist-Ryonidine peptide, implicating calcium in the apoptotic process. Ubiquitous calpains (mu- and m-calpain) have been repeatedly implicated in apoptosis, especially in calcium-related apoptosis. However this study showed 1hat either calpain inhibitor-calpastin or caspase-3 inhibitor-DEVD- did not blocked the herb formulation-induced apoptosis in HeLa human cervical carcinoma cells. D ST initiates a cell death pathway that is partially dependent of caspases. DST-induced apoptosis requires caspase-independent mechanism. Conclusion : We conclude that DST-induced calpain activation triggers the intrinsic apoptotic pathway in which caspase-independent mechanism is also involved.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.227-233
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• 2013

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to evaluate human dental pulp response to pulpotomy with calcium hydroxide (CH), mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA), and calcium enriched mixture (CEM) cement. Materials and Methods: A total of nine erupted third molars were randomly assigned to each pulpotomy group. The same clinician performed full pulpotomies and coronal restorations. The patients were followed clinically for six months; the teeth were then extracted and prepared for histological assessments. The samples were blindly assessed by an independent observer for pulp vitality, pulp inflammation, and calcified bridge formation. Results: All patients were free of clinical signs/symptoms of pulpal/periradicular diseases during the follow up period. In CH group, one tooth had necrotic radicular pulp; other two teeth in this group had vital uninflamed pulps with complete dentinal bridge formation. In CEM cement and MTA groups all teeth had vital uninflamed radicular pulps. A complete dentinal bridge was formed beneath CEM cement and MTA in all roots. Odontoblast-like cells were present beneath CEM cement and MTA in all samples. Conclusions: This study revealed that CEM cement and MTA were reliable endodontic biomaterials in full pulpotomy treatment. In contrast, the human dental pulp response to CH might be unpredictable.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1215-1223
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• 2017

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between dietary calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) intake with DMFT (Decayed Missing Filled Teeth) among Korean schoolchildren. Methods: Data of 1,529 schoolchildren were derived from the Sixth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which was conducted from 2013 to 2015. Sociodemographic, oral health behavior, and dietary factors were collected as independent variables. The DMFT was used as a dependent variable. The chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were performed to identify the correlation between dental caries and the other variables. Results: Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that DMFT was correlated with sex, age, and daily P intake. Conclusions: Adequate intake of phosphorus may have a positive effect in preventing dental caries in schoolchildren. Therefore education on increasing phosphorus intake, including raised awareness through provision of dietary guidelines, will be needed.

• BMB Reports
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.128-133
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• 2016

Astrocytes play a critical role in normal brain functions and maintaining the brain microenvironment, and defects in astrocytogenesis during neurodevelopment could give rise to severe mental illness and psychiatric disorders. During neuro-embryogenesis, astrocytogenesis involves astrocytic differentiation of neural precursor cells (NPCs) induced by signals from ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) or pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP). However, in contrast to the CNTF signaling pathway, the exact mechanism underlying astrocytic differentiation induced by PACAP is unknown. In the present study, we aimed to verify a signaling pathway specific to PACAP-induced astrocytogenesis, using exchange protein directly activated by cAMP2 (Epac2)-knockout mice. We found that PACAP could trigger astrocytic differentiation of NPCs via Epac2 activation and an increase in the intracellular calcium concentration via a calcium ion influx. Taken together, we concluded that astrocytogenesis stimulated by PACAP occurs through a novel signaling pathway independent from CNTF-JAK/STAT signaling, that is the well-known pathway of astrocytogenesis.

• BMB Reports
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.154-160
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• 1999

A calcium-independent phospholipase $A_2$ ($iPLA_2$) was identified from the cytosolic fraction of rat liver cells. On gel filtration chromatography, the $iPLA_2$ activity was eluted as broad peaks of 150 to 500 kDa. The enzyme was maximally active at pH 7.5, retained 75% of its original activity after heating at $50^{\circ}C$ for 5 h, and was inhibited by $Ca^{2+}$, $Mg^{2+}$, and $Zn^{2+}$ ions, but was not affected by $Na^+$ and $K^+$ ions. The enzymatic activity was increased up to 150% by 1 to 4 mM DTT and was inhibited up to 25% by 0.1 to 1 mM PMSF. The $iPLA_2$ activity had preference for the head group of phospholipids, where phosphatidylethanolamine was preferred to phosphatidylcholine. The results suggest that the $iPLA_2$ may be a novel enzyme distinct from the previously reported $iPLA_2s$.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Near Infrared Spectroscopy Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.4106-4106
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• 2001

A method to discriminate human gallstones by nea. infrared(NIR) spectrometry using a soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) has been studied. The fifty NIR spectra of gallstones in the wavenumber range from 4500 to 10,000 cm$\^$-1/ were measured. The forty samples were classified to three classes, cholesterol stone, calcium bilirubinate stone and calcium carbonate stone according to the contents of major components in each gallstone. The training set which contained objects of the different known class was constructed using forty NIR spectra and the test set was made with ten different gallstone spectra. The number of important principal components(PCs) to describe the class was determined by cross validation in order to improve the decision criterion of the SIMCA for the training set. The score plots of the class training set whose objects belong to the other classes were inspected. The critical distance of each class was computed using both the Euclidean distance and the Mahalanobis distance at a proper level of significance(${\alpha}$). Two methods were compared with respect to classification and their robustness towards the number of PCs selected to describe different classes.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.115-120
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• 2006

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by selective degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Mutations in ${\alpha}$-synuclein have been causally linked to the pathogenesis of hereditary PD. In addition, it is a major component of Lewy body found in the brains of sporadic cases as well. In the present study, we examined whether overexpression of wild type or PD-related mutant ${\alpha}$-synuclein induces unfolded protein response (UPR) and triggers the known signaling pathway of the resulting endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in SH-SY5Y cells. Overexpression of wild type, A30P, and A53T ${\alpha}$-synuclein all induced XBP-1 mRNA splicing, one of the late stage UPR events. However, activation of ER membrane kinases and upregulation of ER or cytoplsmic chaperones were not detected when ${\alpha}$-synuclein was overexpressed. However, basal level of cytoplsmic calcium was elevated in ${\alpha}$-synuclein-expressing cells. Our observation suggests that overexpression of ${\alpha}$-synuclein induces UPR independent of the known ER membrane kinase-mediated signaling pathway and induces ER stress by disturbing calcium homeostasis.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.103-112
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• 2007

High prices, overfishing, and contamination have limited the availability of natural caviar as a food product. We attempted to apply encapsulation by calcium-alginate gel membranes to caviar analog preparation in an effort to produce a high-quality replacement for natural caviar. Physical conditions of stirring speed $(X_1,\;rpm)$ and gelation time $(X_2,\;min)$ as the independent variables for gelation were optimized by response surface methodology. Sphericity $(Y_1,\;%)$, diameter $(Y_2,\;mm)$, membrane thickness $(Y_3,\;mm)$, rupture strength $(Y_4,\;g)$, and rupturing deformation $(Y_5,\;mm)$ were used as the dependent variables to compare characteristics of the capsules for caviar analogs with natural caviar. The values of the independent variables as evaluated by multiple response optimization were $X_1=-0.1271 (278 rpm) and $X_2=0.4436$ (12.2 min), respectively. Predicted values of the four dependent variables were $Y_1=97.7%,\;Y_2=2.97mm,\;Y_4=1,465g,\;and\;Y_5=1.15mm$. Membrane thickness $(Y_3)$ was eliminated from the dependent variables for multiple response optimization because it could not be measured with an image analyzer. The experimental values prepared under the optimal conditions for verification nearly coincided with the predicted values and satisfied the conditions of natural caviar.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.41-51
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• 1996

The present study was undertaken to investigate the physiological characteristics of the adrenergic responses in the tilapia dorsal aorta. Epinephrine, norepinephrine, clonidine and methoxamine in the presence of propranolol($3{\times}10^{-6}$M), induced only endothelium-independent and concentration-dependent vasocontractions in tilapia dorsal aorta. The rank order of potency of adrenergic agonists inducing vasocontraction was epinephrine>norepinephrine>phenylephrine>clonidine>ethoxamine, Yohimbine produced a parallel shift of the concentration-vascontraction curves of epinephrine, norepinephrine, phenylephrine and clonidine to the right, while prazosin depressed the maximum responses of epinephrine and norepinephrine. Calcium-free physiological solution and verapamil markedly reduced epinephrine or norepinephrine-induced vasocontractions. These results suggest that a-adrenergic agonists produce only on endothelium-inedpenent casoconstrictions in tilapia dorsal aorta and these effect of a-adrenergic agonists, which might be associated with both calcium release from intracellular stores and calcium influx through voltage-dependent calcium channel.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.55-67
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• 1991

The influence of caffeine on secretion of catecholamines (CA) was examined in the isolated perfused rat adrenal gland. Caffeine (0.3 mM) perfused into an adrenal vein of the gland produced a marked increase in secretion of CA. This secretory effect of CA evoked by perfusion of caffeine for one minute was considerably prolonged, lasting for more than 90 minutes. The tachyphylaxis to releasing effect of CA induced by caffeine was observed by repeated perfusion of this drug. The caffeine-evoked CA secretion was markedly inhibited by pretreatment with ouabain, trifluoperazine, TMB-8 and perfusion with calcium-free Krebs solution containing 5 mM EGTA, but was not affected by perfusion of calcium-free Krebs solution without other addition. CA secretion evoked by caffeine was not reduced significantly by pretreatment with chlorisondamine but after the first collection of perfusate for 3 min was clearly inhibited. Interestingly, the caffeine-evoked CA secretion was considerably potentiated by pretreatment with atropine or pirenzepine, but after the first collection for 3 min it was markedly decreased. These experimental results suggest that caffeine causes a marked increase in secretion of CA from the isolated perfused rat adrenal gland by an extracellular calcium-independent exocytotic mechanism. The secretory effect of caffeine may be mainly due to mobilization of calcium from an intracellular calcium pool in the rat chromaffin cells and partly due to stimulation of both muscarinic and nicotinic receptors.